In the rushed routine of the modern woman's daily life, hair care often doesn't get the priority it deserves. Panicking over hair fall, worried about premature greying, we buy packaged products that promise wonders, or just settle for cosmetic salon treatments. But since hair matters – most women's self-confidence is tied to the state of their hair - it's wise to devote some time to its health. And for that, few things can beat the good old hair oil.

10 benefits of hair oil for gorgeous hair

1. Natural goodness for hair

The first benefit is that natural hair oil, meaning the least processed, comes packed with several of the vitamins and micro-nutrients that are found in food. So hair oil is basically hair food.

2. Revitalises hair tissues

The second benefit of a hair oil massage is the way it penetrates the skin. A shampoo-conditioner, no matter how good its components, can't match the way hair oil goes deep into the skin and does its job revitalising the skin tissue.

3. Relaxing massage for healthy scalp

The third benefit of a thorough hair oil massage is that it boosts blood circulation in the scalp. The oil is spread evenly around the scalp, sending nutrients directly to all the hair roots.

4. Fights hair fall

Hair oil does the job of fighting hair fall and of aiding hair regrowth. Therefore, whether you've got a hair loss problem or not, you can use a hair thickening oil, and the results can only be good.

5. Tames frizz

Using hair oil is a great way to control frizzy hair. On days when your hair seems all out of control and frizzy, rub some hair oil on your palms and run through the hair lightly. This will cause the frizz to settle immediately and also provide nourishment to the hair.

Oil benefits for brows and eyelashes

As for which oil is good for your hair, while most can do the basic job of nourishing hair roots, triphala (the combination of three herbs), hibiscus, jojoba and coconut are among the best oils for hair growth. It's not just the hair on your head that benefits from a natural oil; lightly applying extra-virgin olive oil to eyelashes can make them thicker as well.

Make hair oil at home

The best products for our body are those that are least processed. So try making your own natural hair oil at home. Since oil doesn't go off, you could make a substantial quantity of it and store it in a glass jar for months. You can make only coconut oil, or make the coconut oil base and then add more hair oil nutrients to it.

Natural hair oil recipes

Coconut oil:

Take a mature (brown) coconut. Slice in two halves or many pieces (you can do this at home or ask the seller to cut it for you). Scrape every bit of the white coconut 'meat' using any kitchen tool, like a strong steel spoon. Then chop this up and put it in a blender. Blend at high speed. Once it has been crushed and blended as much as possible, you need to filter it. Get a jar and a square of cloth. Spoon out some blended mix on to the cloth, wrap it and create a ball, hold the ball over the mouth of the jar and squeeze hard. Keep doing this until you've got every bit of the milk from the blended mix. Let the milk sit in the jar for a day. In this time, the oil will separate itself and settle at the bottom of the jar. After a day, scoop out the layer of solid ‘curd’ floating above the oil. Now you’re left with virgin coconut oil.

Hair thickening oil

Once you've got homemade coconut oil, you can enhance it. Get a packet of triphala powder. Heat a non-stick pan over low fire. Put 3 tbsp of coconut oil and 1 tbsp of triphala powder. Stir the mixture with a cooking spatula until smooth, and then pour into a bowl. Your enhanced oil is ready - it's the best oil for hair fall and premature greying. Coconut oil also adds softness to hair, helps in preventing split ends, breakage and gives you shiny long beautiful hair.

Right way to apply hair oil

Here are some tips for oiling your hair

Ideally, your scalp should be clean for the hair oil to work really well.

Wash hair with a degreasing shampoo and let the hair dry out completely.

Then apply hair oil the same day or the next day (before dirt builds up again on the scalp).

Massage the oil in gently for about 10 to 15 minutes but thoroughly, covering every inch of the scalp. If you can warm the hair oil slightly before applying, it will spread better.

Leave this on for at least 3 hours before washing off. You could even leave the hair oil on overnight, if you're so inclined. Keeping it more than 24 hourswill make the hair weak as it will start accumulating dirt.

Oil your hair at least once a week however for dry hair twice a week is advisable.